There’s a cloud that can make businesses smarter

Why every business can be more innovative and efficient with the cloud

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One of the great advances that has enabled businesses to think differently is the cloud. By giving companies secure, reliable, rapid access to their most important assets, it provides the necessary tools for them to be fast and decisive. However, there is a growing argument to say that, by using the cloud in an even more strategic fashion, businesses can do more. They can become even smarter.

At the core of this idea is the push for greater flexibility, agility and speed. So businesses are ready to respond to changing conditions, demanding internal stakeholders and rising customer expectations. They need to be able to scale according to demand and priorities, think differently and deploy applications exactly when and where they are needed.

By 2020, a corporate “no-cloud” policy will be as rare as a “no-internet” policy is today.Gartner

Smart business and smart technology

To accomplish all of this, businesses need to transform, starting with a rethink of all processes. That means finding reliable, secure and efficient ways to work, whether that’s accomplishing day-to-day tasks faster or making the right decisions first time. In practical terms, this will involve becoming more mobile, using smart devices wherever possible, and embracing the potential of faster connectivity to achieve more and to help people work smarter. Thereby maximising every business’ greatest investment.

When a business can do this, it becomes a truly smart business – the impact of which can be transformative, both for profit margins and for productivity.

This eBook looks at what the cloud can do for a modern business, how better use of the cloud can drive productivity, and how some of the most innovative and successful businesses in the world have harnessed the cloud to revolutionise entire industries.

The goal of any business technology is to create new possibilities. Whether it’s taking care of everyday systems to help CIOs and leaders put more resource into innovation, or developing an application that boosts workforce connectivity, the driving force is always to lay the foundations for decisions to be made faster, investments to work harder and, of course, for businesses to work smarter.

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Perhaps 10 years ago the big task for CIOs and technology experts was to convince their C-Suites to adopt the cloud. For the vast majority, that battle has been won. The cloud is embedded in businesses worldwide and its influence is growing. However, it would be a mistake for any CIO to think that just using the cloud, or thinking ‘cloud first’, is enough. They now need to digitally transform, making more of available cloud technologies for smarter working.

Of course, knowing that is one thing. Doing it is quite another. Smart, cloud-enabled working is a big concept. And many businesses today are still striving to realise the potential of it, looking to further hone the strategy that guides how they procure, manage and work with the cloud. It’s also about reimagining exactly what the cloud can do, where and for whom. A lack of clarity about who owns and is responsible for cloud technology provision and maintenance can be another hurdle.

Any kind of digital transformation will stutter and fail if a business has no clearly defined strategy in place to govern its most important

Is the cloud being under used?

technologies. So the key to using the cloud to do smarter things across a business lies in the creation of a strategic policy, backed up by two things.

The first is an understanding of what the cloud can do as an enabling tool, rather than thinking of it simply as a service. In hotel chains, for example, it’s increasingly important to be able to offer personalised service to customers. Whether that’s in the shape of a consistent experience in locations around the world, or fast-tracking business people through administrative processes, like check-in. The cloud can support this by ensuring that the right tools and applications are available for the right people, exactly when they need to be. So that frontline staff are always ready with the capabilities they need to deliver outstanding service.

The second is using the right cloud for the right purpose. Because while many businesses use a combination of private and public cloud systems, not all of them are doing so based on a well-developed usage policy. The effect of this can be anything from slow deployment, because an

application is not readily available, to a risk to business continuity, if (for instance) mission critical applications are compromised on a public cloud.

It’s not the case that businesses today are failing in their use of the cloud. It’s more that they potentially lack the right partners, approach and expertise to guide how they can best exploit it. Changing that can lead to greater flexibility, optimised application performance and a more productive workforce. That’s certainly what the biggest business disruptors and game changers of the past decade have done – and what those of the next decade will have to do to remain competitive.

It would be a mistake for any CIO to think that just using the cloud, or thinking ‘cloud first’ is enough.

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While every business is different, the fastest growing know what the cloud can do for digital transformation, and how they can release its potential. They use the cloud to support business strategies that shape and dominate entire industries – taking the concepts that define smart working, and running with them to fundamentally alter not just how people use and consume services and products, but how they think about them.

Speed, productivity and connectivity through the cloud

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Just consider businesses like Uber, Airbnb and Spotify – a taxi service that owns no cars, a travel business with no hotels and a music player that’s never sold a record. All use a combination of the cloud, people who know how to work with it and agile process as a way to scale, test and deploy at speed. Essential because each works on a business model that is highly affected by market fluctuations, as well as the popularity of its own service.

In this kind of changeable commercial environment, agility is key. And, by basing data, applications and tools in a global cloud, they can ensure that new partners (like Uber’s drivers) can set up and start working and earning almost instantly. Likewise, by using fast, efficient cloud infrastructure, new applications can be deployed or tested in real time, with learnings sent back to developers as they arise, so that consumer-facing services are always available and improving.

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Importantly, all of this cloud-based development, deployment and agility is working in harmony with devices, people and hardware across the world. So, not only are these innovators able to move much faster in their drive to scale up and gain customers, they are also taking advantage of mobility and the growing Internet of Things. And, as some businesses are struggling

to develop security policies that will make trends like BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) beneficial to their workforce, these entrepreneurial cloud innovators are not. Instead, they are using hybrid policies, combining public and private clouds, to ensure that the people who make their businesses work (whether a driver, room renter or a music maker) can access

and use the data they need. As such, workforce investments are justified, while the business and its customers stay secure.

It’s an ideal state of people, processes, technology, workplaces and systems all working together and connecting, according to an agile business strategy. And that’s exactly what smart working is.

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Today’s great business disruptors are changing industries and becoming household names. Without ever owning any of the infrastructure that their competitors depend on. What they have in common is the ability to be smart. And to use the cloud to its utmost capabilities.

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Better connectivity means better business

Because of its importance to future success in every industry, it’s only natural that every CIO will spend a good part of their time looking at how to make their organisation smarter with cloud technology. However, not every cloud can make ambitious business strategies a reality. It’s important, therefore, to only consider working with cloud solutions that can make a tangible, game-changing contribution to the most important and influential business assets there are: people and customers.

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That could mean asking what kind of role data analysis might play as a business exploits the evolving Internet of Things to make life better for customers and staff alike. A train operator, for instance, could bring about an era of ‘smart railways’, by connecting rolling stock and on-board staff to data that has been stored and optimised in the cloud. With this capability, they could understand when maintenance is needed, what form it might take and, in doing so, keep more trains on the tracks and fewer in the depot. At the same time, they could use these systems to give

drivers and conductors up-to-date information about passenger capacity, so they can offer an improved service during peak hours.

Similarly in the gaming and media industries, where speed and reliability are key, businesses can use the cloud to deploy new products, test, garner user feedback and update as necessary. A concept that also works for global manufacturing, where the need to get new products designed, developed and released faster than competitors is growing ever more urgent.

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While in the public sector, the cloud can accelerate the production of cancer beating drugs and research into hospitals, by ensuring that data and information can be shared and worked on easily. Or help town centre shoppers to take advantage of apps that make it easier to pay for parking.

Of course, much of this innovation and smart working depends on reliability and security.

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Which is why it’s absolutely essential for all cloud-using businesses and, indeed, those determined to make more of the cloud, to partner with providers with the very best data sovereignty, continuity and hack defence measures. And who can offer a hybrid cloud solution that enables businesses to tier their cloud approach to suit the sensitivity and importance of their data and applications.

Finding a way to work smarter with the cloud is a complex task that requires provider support. However, when a business gets it right the benefits can be huge – ranging from vastly increased market share and customer satisfaction, to a far more resource and financially efficient IT estate.

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For Fitness First, the largest privately owned health club group in the world, data and insight are vital to their ability to offer customers a service they’ll love. Storing and using everything from members’ personal information and workout plans, to performance data and vital statistics, they use what they know about their user base to inform and help staff to enhance the customer experience when they’re in the gym.

To make that work, Fitness First use a range of technologies, including smart training equipment and staff-operated tablets. So that when someone is working out in a Fitness First health club, they are getting more than just a 30-minute session on a treadmill.

How the cloud can

The cloud can

Help fintech firms to grow, with agile solutions that enable them to target a wider customer base

Enable utilities companies to make more of data, for customer acquisition and retention

Give retailers the opportunity to restock shelves before they’re empty

Create closer customer relationships for technology firms, by making fast upgrades a reality

Such an ambitious concept requires a cloud solution that can make the most of connected devices, grow with their membership base, boost staff productivity, and work across multiple Fitness First sites. That means great connectivity, reliability and quick data analysis and reporting are vital. And, because of the nature of the data Fitness First holds, they need security and a tiered approach to cloud hosting to meet compliance regulations – members want to be able to trust their health club as well as enjoy it.

That’s why Fitness First have been working with Vodafone. And today their secure, high-performance cloud is making their health clubs the smartest in Germany – as well as enabling innovation and growth in their business.

How are BASE Media Cloud finding ways to work smarter with Vodafone

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In fast moving, data hungry and connected times, every business needs to utilise the assets they have available to them. Whether that’s enhancing and connecting solutions they already own so that customers enjoy an improved experience, or bringing in new ones so that staff can dedicate more of their time to work that boosts the bottom line. However, many are not using their most vital and enabling technologies to the best of their capabilities. All of which leads to inefficient practices, missed opportunities to improve productivity and, eventually, loss of business to competitors.

A secure cloud for a ready businessA smart cloud for ready business

We’ve got really innovative people here, all over the globe. We sit and we work with our customers. And this is the key difference. We don’t just sell technology. We help people to understand how to use it to build innovation.James Griffin Chief Cloud Evangelist Vodafone Cloud and Hosting

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Discover how the cloud can make business life simple. Or how it can help CIOs to focus on innovation,

rather than just security.

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This is why it’s crucial that businesses go beyond thinking cloud first, and instead become more strategic in how they use the cloud. They need to be smarter about how they work. That means following the examples set by outlier businesses, who have drawn on the cloud, the Internet of Things and greater connectivity, to revolutionise markets and how people work.

Then looking at long- and short-term business priorities to discover how the cloud can contribute to better decision-making, quicker deployment of ideas, and faster growth.

All in the name of smarter working throughout the organisation, and closer customer relationships on the ground.

Smart working can transform any business into a Ready Business. However, not every cloud can support it. That’s why it’s crucial for businesses to find a partner with the global reach, communications heritage and expertise to join them as they develop, grow and compete at the top of their industries.

vodafone.com/vodafonecloudVodafone Group 2017. This document is issued by Vodafone in confidence and is not to be reproduced in whole or in part without the express, prior written permission of Vodafone. Vodafone and the Vodafone logos are trademarks of the Vodafone Group. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademark of their respective owners. The information contained in this publication is correct at the time of going to print. Any reliance on the information shall be at the recipient’s risk. No member of the Vodafone Group shall have any liability in respect of the use made of the information. The information may be subject to change. Services may be modified, supplemented or withdrawn by Vodafone without prior notice. All services are subject to terms and conditions, copies of which may be provided on request.